19 October 2010

One of the best aspects of our San Bernard River Adventure was seeing the small towns and wild places that look like they did fifty years ago. It's a wild juxtaposition of nature and industry, a refuge for migratory birds and vast chemical refineries. It is not the place to go if you are looking for an unspoiled stretch of coast, Matagorda Island or North Padre Island are much better choices for this. There's a strange charm nonetheless, even if your family did not grow up there. Next time we go I will stop at every last bric a brac antique store, take pictures of the fans palms & spanish moss, and throw horseshoes at a roadside ice house.

08 October 2010

In a few short hours we are setting off for a San Bernard River adventure. We are staying on the Gulf of Mexico and will motorboat up the river to see where my Mother grew up, a wild and mythical place that couldn't be more different from Alamo Heights in San Antonio, where she and her family ended up. We all have these familial stories that are passed down which take on lives of their own, over time becoming so imprinted you begin to think you experienced them, even if you were not yet born. This will be my first time to visit and I'm looking forward to deja vu, a barred owl sighting, and many other wonders. We hope to make it to the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, where this picture was taken and make some discoveries of our own.